Attending an interview could be easily compared to going to a battle field. The person who is about to be interviewed needs to be absolutely ready to give the best answers to the person in front of him, especially when the interview is for a C-level position. Having an interview is the same as facing a situation that involves a huge challenge, in which a candidate has to show the best of himself, in order to get the best results. Those good results will eventually turn into the c-level position he has always dreamed about.

1. By
Jason Hanold
5 forbidden questions to ask
during an interview
Image courtesy of Noelia and Veronique Debord-Lazaro at Flickr.com

2. Attending an interview could be easily compared to going to a battle field. The
person who is about to be interviewed needs to be absolutely ready to give the
best answers to the person in front of him, especially when the interview is for a
C-level position. Having an interview is the same as facing a situation that
involves a huge challenge, in which a candidate has to show the best of himself,
in order to get the best results. Those good results will eventually turn into the c-
level position he has always dreamed about.
An interview is like the moment where the candidate has the opportunity to
make a pitch. Everything that he or she says during that short period of time, will
be decisive. It is therefore a big responsibility, a big moment and a chance to
shine.
5 forbidden questions to ask during an
interview.

3. The interviewer will take many things into account. Details such as the clothes
the candidate is wearing, the body language, the vocabulary the candidate uses,
the way he or she answers the questions the interviewer has and a very
important detail: the questions the candidate ask, during the interview.
People sometimes don’t really pay attention to this but there are some questions
a candidate should definitely never ask during an interview. It is even better to
stick to the information the interviewer needs to know, and just answer those
questions, instead of throwing inadequate questions that will most likely
disqualify a candidate just by saying the words.
5 forbidden questions to ask during an
interview.
Here is the list of the top 5 questions or subjects
a C-level candidate should never ask about
during an interview, according to Jason Hanold:
Image courtesy of Veronique Debord-Lazaro at Flickr.com

4. Questions related to salary, bonus and benefits
Asking questions such as: What will my salary be? When will I receive a
bonus? What kind of benefits will you offer me? and similar questions like
these are very disappointing from a recruiter or interviewer point of view.
A candidate that is only interested in a salary will not generate any trust
and he or she will probably not be truly focused on the new job.
Additionally a candidate should never ask any question assuming the
position is already theirs. This type of information will be informed sooner
or later so candidates should be patient until the subject comes up in the
conversation.
5 forbidden questions to ask during an
interview.

5. "Is the job mine?“
Again, patience is one of the most valued characteristics a candidate can have. It
doesn’t mean the candidate should wait forever to get an answer or feedback
about how the process is going but showing too much pressure is not a very
smart thing to do. Companies are not looking for “know-it-alls”, companies are
looking for balanced, smart and passionate people that know when the right time
is to act and to mention any type of information.
5 forbidden questions to ask during an
interview.
Image courtesy of Noelia at Flickr.com
If the answer form the interviewing company is that
the job really is for a certain candidate, the right
time to be notified will come and there is no reason
why a question like “Is the job mine” should be
asked, before getting any news related to it.

6. “Why should I accept working for this company?”
This is probably the worst kind of question candidates can ask a recruiter
or the person that is interviewing them. Respect, trust and admiration will
be completely lost after popping this question. Before even showing up at
the interview, a candidate should know about the company, what it does,
what it specializes in, who their clients are, who their competitors are,
what their culture is like and what it has to offer for new employees and
for their current team members. This rather and arrogant question
because if the candidate didn’t know what working at that company
would mean, the least he can do it to find out, research about it. And if he
does know what it means, a question like this just puts him in the worst
situation possible in terms of an interview.
5 forbidden questions to ask during an
interview.

7. “Could I work from home?”
This is a question that shouldn’t be asked unless the description of the job specifies it,
or until the executive or candidate has already worked a certain amount of time at
the company. This adapting time will allow him or her demonstrate the company they
hired the right person for the job and therefore the candidate has now won a sort of
right that allows him or her to ask for these special benefits. Working from home
involves having a lot of discipline. When someone works from home he or she should
know from day one, how to separate work time from family and home relaxing time.
Since the space is going to be the same, the importance of separating times for every
single activity, becomes a priority.
Not all companies agree with this working style, so if this is something the interviewer
doesn’t mention, the suggestion it to leave it there.
To read our previous post, click here
5 forbidden questions to ask during an
interview.